Hayao Miyazaki’s animated film Princess Mononoke(Studio Ghibli Official) was released in 1997.
Here I want to consider the Tatarigami—the cursed god that appears at the beginning and causes trouble for Ashitaka and the others right to the end.
What is the Tatarigami, and what does its presence in Princess Mononoke mean? Those are the questions I want to explore.
First, let’s revisit the contradiction in its behavior that the film invites us to notice.
*This is a translated version. The original (Japanese) is available here.
- The Tatarigami as a Symbol of Hatred and Madness
After becoming Tatarigami, Nago and Okkoto lose sight of their original aims and act irrationally. I see this as an image of hatred stripping away reason and turning into indiscriminate calamity. Mixed with fear and anger, that power makes attacking an end in itself and draws others into the damage. - Calamity and the Will to Resist It
Like Ashitaka’s curse or San’s abandonment, inexplicable, unjust events can fall into our lives. I read the Tatarigami as an embodiment of that reality, and as necessary to a story about the will to go on without surrendering to hatred.
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The Tatarigami in Princess Mononoke
The Tatarigami’s Contradiction
The film’s two Tatarigami are Nago, who appears at the beginning, and Okkoto, who runs wild near the end.
Once they acquire the power of Tatarigami, surely both Nago and Okkoto ought to turn back toward Irontown and rampage there.
Instead, Nago charges east and attacks Ashitaka’s village, while Okkoto leads humans to the Forest Spirit he is supposed to protect.
Becoming a Tatarigami seems to make them act irrationally.
Why?
Hatred as Madness
That the Tatarigami symbolizes hatred seems fairly clear. What matters, though, is how openly that hatred is expressed through it.
I think the film shows that when hatred takes hold, attacking becomes an end in itself, and anyone can become a target.
Someone consumed by hatred forgets the person they originally wanted to attack. Everyone becomes an enemy.
That hatred also contains fear of whatever first provoked it. In my reading, this helps explain why Nago charges east and why Okkoto runs toward the Forest Spirit.
I think the Tatarigami vividly depicts both hatred and fear of its source.
That is my answer to what the Tatarigami is. The more important question is why the story needs it.
Hatred as Calamity
One important element of Princess Mononoke is the “something” that falls upon us without reason.
In The Place Where the Wind Returns (風の帰る場所, in Japanese), interviewer Yoichi Shibuya asks Miyazaki about the importance of Ashitaka being cursed right at the beginning. Miyazaki replies:
“That’s right. It has no meaning unless he is cursed by something absurd. A boy developing atopic dermatitis, a child developing asthma, someone developing AIDS—these things will become more and more common. They are absurd.”
(Original Text in Japanese)
「そうですね。不条理に呪われないと意味がないですよ。だって、アトピーになった少年とか、小児喘息になった子供とか、エイズになったとか、そういうことはこれからますます増えるでしょう。不条理なものですよ。」
The Tatarigami that attacks Ashitaka’s village, and the curse he receives from it, are such unjust “somethings.” So is San being abandoned by her parents and raised by wolves. So, too, is Nago being struck by a firearm.
They are things for which seeking a reason changes nothing. We can only call them “something” that happened.
The Tatarigami—Nago in particular—embodies that helpless encounter with “something.” At the same time, it symbolizes hatred. I see a message in that combination:
Hatred is a calamity.
As I’ve argued, hatred spreads outward, and attacking becomes an end in itself for those it consumes. Anyone who happens to be nearby may become a target. What word other than “calamity” could describe that?
No amount of searching reveals a reason. Hatred lies at the root.
Even so, Ashitaka keeps appealing to those around him to cast aside hatred and take a new step forward.
Read the full analysis: Ashitaka as Protagonist and the People Who Hide Their Feelings
So why does Princess Mononoke need the Tatarigami?
There are people who must struggle against something they cannot control. The story needs a being that symbolizes the hatred, curses, and anger within them. I think the Tatarigami also gives weight to the wish Ashitaka voices as protagonist: please do not surrender to hatred.
That, I think, is the answer.
Personally, I have never hated anything enough to go mad. I know that this is not something to take for granted, but extraordinary good fortune. I know because I have watched Princess Mononoke.
What do you think the Tatarigami represents? Does this reading change how you see the film’s opening? Let me know!
The images used in this article are from Studio Ghibli Works Still Images.
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